Protest in front of DİSK Sosyal-İş headquarters: “The union is being turned into the workers’ wing of a party”

BirGün/Ankara

Called by the Ankara Branch of DİSK Sosyal-İş, a protest was held against anti-democratic practices and unlawful actions within the union. The sanctions imposed by the general centre, especially the penalty of suspending Ankara Branch Chair Aydın Kaplan from office for up to two months, were protested.

Union members and citizens gathered in front of the Ankara branch marched to the Sosyal-İş headquarters.

In the press statement there it was said: “Our union Sosyal-İş has for some time been deprived by the General Executive Board of members’ right to speak and decide, their independent will has been obstructed, and the union has entered a dark period away from its historical values, democratic traditions and line of labour struggle. Since taking office after the General Congress of 10–11 January 2024, the administration has never applied any democratic method, has turned the union into the backyard of TİP, has not allowed members to exercise their right to oversight, and thus created an environment of alienation and distrust within our union.”

TİP’S DELEGATE GAME

The statement continued:

“First it must be said that the congress at which those who aim to turn our union into the workers’ wing of their party came to power was highly dubious in terms of its delegate structure. At this congress, many delegates supporting the current leadership were registered in workplaces with no organising activity, not representing a meaningful workers’ community, some shown as party members working only on paper. These methods, though formally legitimate, do not match workers’ principles and values. Over the last 1.5 years they have become routine in the union’s daily functioning, and unethical practices have given character to the current leadership.

Notably, this group dismissed from their union duties a person who was both head of the organisation department on their executive list and chair of our İzmir branch, after breaking with him due to problems within their party. They did not hesitate to shut down one of our three branches without informing members, simply because the incoming leader was opposed to them. They cited insufficient membership as a reason, yet just before the closure they had transferred a unionised workplace with nearly 100 members from İzmir branch to the centre in violation of statutes, leaving about 500 members behind while maintaining this lie. The leadership ignored all objections from members and trampled democratic processes. The matter inevitably went to court, and Ankara 4th Labour Court ruled the branch closure anti-democratic and annulled it. Nevertheless, the leadership ignored the local ruling and appealed, keeping the İzmir branch closed and disrupting union activity.

Another attack on the union’s will came recently when Aydın Kaplan, our Ankara branch chair known for his opposition to the general leadership, was suspended for two months on the baseless charge of ‘disrupting union work’. The board issuing this unlawful penalty was chaired by someone who was simultaneously both the complainant and a member of the Istanbul branch board, and in a judging position.”

The statement underlined:

“DİSK and Sosyal-İş have always represented a tradition based on union democracy, freedom of thought and the right to criticism. Every decision that ignores these principles damages our union’s history and future. Silencing dissenters and suppressing criticism through discipline is an anti-democratic stance incompatible with our tradition, one that eliminates the possibility of different union tendencies working together.

As members of Sosyal-İş, we reject the mentality that runs no dialogue with representatives, branches or workplace delegates, disregards our will in every aspect of union functioning, and replaces them with units and members of their own party. We demand an end to the attacks on our right to representation and organised labour. We call on all members to build solidarity against an approach that weakens our union daily, that engages in no meaningful struggle or organising process, and instead confines itself to social media displays, and to join us in the fight to make Sosyal-İş truly a union of workers.”

“I CONTINUE TO DO MY JOB”

Aydın Kaplan, chair of the Ankara branch, on whom the leadership imposed a two-month suspension, said: “Since as branch chair I implement the decisions of our branch executive board and assemblies, this penalty is against the entire Ankara branch, not only me. In meetings with workplace representatives and members, the penalty has been deemed null and void. As I did yesterday, I continue to do my job today.”

After the statement, a sit-in began.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled DİSK Sosyal-İş Genel Merkezi önünde protesto: "Sendika bir partinin işçi koluna dönüştürülmek isteniyor”, published in BirGün newspaper on August 19, 2025.